Young Adult Fiction 10/11/2010

The Trolls

by Polly Horvath

The Trolls is yet another book by Polly Horvath that has me convinced that she is one of the best children's book writers today. It is the story of three children whose aunt babysits them while their parents are on vacation. During this time, their aunt tells them stories from their father's past. Some are funny, some are sad, some are a bit frightening. What is true about all of them is that it teaches the children a lot more about their family.

Not only does The Trolls have Polly Horvath's trademark humor, it ends on a serious note, which has kept me thinking about it days after I have read it. It is simple enough for middle schoolers to read, but older people can get something out of it as well. Well done, Polly Horvath, yet again.

Young Adult Fiction 9/15/2010

Savvy

by Ingrid Law

Mibs (short for Mississippi) has an unusual family. On each child's 13th birthday, they discover their savvy, that is, their special gift. One of her older brothers caused a hurricane on his 13th birthday and her mother's savvy is that she is absolutely perfect at everything. Mibs' 13th birthday is coming up but right before she finds out her savvy, her father (who is normal) gets in a terrible accident. Mibs (along with her brothers and new friends) decide to go on a long journey to reach her father and hopefully save him with her savvy.

Savvy is definitely a unique book. Ingrid Law uses "magic" without the story seeming too fantastical or unbelievable. Deep down, Savvy is really the tale of a girl growing up and learning about herself, along with learning about her special abilities. It's not shocking at all that this is on Oprah's Book Club Kids Reading List.

Young Adult Fiction 8/30/2010

The Canning Season

by Polly Horvath

The Canning Season is the story of Ratchet, a girl whose mother cares more about her dreams of being a member of the Hunting Club than her. Ratchet is sent out of the blue to spend a summer in the Maine woods with her two 91 year old great aunts.

I absolutely loved The Canning Season to the point that I stayed late at work one day in order to finish it. Horvath has a great blend of slapstick humor and offbeat storytelling that kept me totally engaged and laughing aloud. This book is one-of-a-kind, that's for certain. The one warning I would give is that there are some uses of swear words that some readers may be too young for.

Young Adult Fiction 6/6/2010

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

by Jaqueline Kelly

The year is 1899 and 11 year old Calpurnia Tate lives on a Texas farm with her six brothers. She is at the time in her life where she is supposed to learn sewing and cooking, in order to prepare to be a wife and a mother, but her budding relationship with her naturalist grandfather puts other ideas in her head.

This is a great book for girls who do not quite fit in with how a girl is "supposed" to act. Calpurnia is smart and inquisitive, even though her parents would rather her to be quiet and polite. I absolutely loved this book.

Young Adult Fiction 5/19/2010

The Clock Without a Face

by Scott Teplin, Mac Barnett, and Eli Horowitz

"This much is true: twelve emerald-studded numbers, each handmade and one of a kind, have been buried in twelve holes, strewn across the country. These treasures will belong to whoever finds them first. The clues to their locations lurk within these thirteen floors." Thus states the back of The Clock Without a Face. This is a extremely interesting and unusual book. The reader is asked to, along with the two main characters, solve the mystery of who stole twelve emerald-encrusted numbers of a clock held on the thirteenth floor of an apartment building. Each new page includes an interview with the tenants of each floor, along with a drawing of their floor. With both the drawings and the text, the reader is then asked to solve the mystery! When the mystery is solved (and yes, the answer is given) a new mystery begins: where are the numbers buried? Each floor has clues within the drawings as to the real location of the buried numbers. And so begins a second (and much more difficult) adventure.

This book is extremely fun. While it can be read and solved in one sitting, the second mystery as to where the numbers are located is much more difficult. What is so interesting is that there are real numbers buried all around the United States. So, if the reader dares, she or he can go on a treasure hunt with The Clock Without a Face as a guide. Become one of the first to find the numbers' locations!

Young Adult Fiction 5/10/2010

The Cardturner by Louis Sachar

The Cardturner is a story about bridge. Not a bridge or bridges, but about the card game bridge that seems to be only popular amongst older people. In this book, Alton Richards is forced by his parents to be the cardturner for his blind (and rich) great uncle, in order to help his family get mentioned in his will. In the process, Alton learns the tragic past of his great-uncle and begins to learn the magic of bridge.

I have never played bridge before, and before this book, never even knew much about it, but Louis Sachar explains it in a way that makes the reader want to learn. Of course, The Cardturner is not all about bridge, it tells the story of a guy who is just trying to figure everything out. While maybe not as perfect as Holes, The Cardturner is another book well done by Louis Sachar.

Young Adult Fiction 5/3/2010

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis

In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia with their spoiled cousin Eustace. The three of them find themselves aboard the ship the Dawn Treader, along with their old friend Prince Caspian, on a journey into uncharted waters to search for seven lords that Caspian's evil uncle send away.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was always my favorite of the Chronicles of Narnia. Each island that the characters travel to is absolutely fascinating and unique. The Dawn Treader is full of action, adventure, and wisdom. I would advise someone new to the Chronicles of Narnia to start with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian to understand the back story, but even though The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is fifth in the series, it does not have to be the fifth one read.

Young Adult Fiction 4/25/2010

Holes by Louis Sachar

Stanley Yelnats has the worst luck. He is sent to Camp Green Lake, a boys' detention facility, after being falsely accused of stealing the smelly secrets of a famous basketball player. At Camp Green Lake, Stanley (along with the other "campers") is forced to dig a hole a day (five feet wide, five feet deep) in the wasteland that used to be Green Lake. While Camp Green Lake is not a Girl Scouts Camp, neither is it without its secrets...

Holes is probably one of my favorite children's books of all time. Sachar combines mystery with family history with magic in this great story of a boy with really, really bad luck. I would highly recommend this book for anyone middle school age and up.

Young Adult Fiction 4/19/2010

The 39 Clues #1: The Maze of Bones

by Rick Riordan

When Amy and Dan Cahill's beloved grandmother, Grace, dies, they hope to inherit something special to remind themselves of her. Instead, they, along with a roomful of their distant relatives, are given the choice to take one million dollars or embark on a quest to find the 39 clues and find the secret of the Cahill family, one of the most powerful families in the world.

The Maze of Bones is the first in a series written by all different children's book authors. It is a book that is sure to get you addicted. Once you read the first clue, you can't stop! It's a great series to get your child into reading.

Young Adult Fiction 4/12/2010

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

A warning: this book is not for the faint of heart. In this Newberry award-winning book, Neil Gaiman tells the story of Bod, short for Nobody, who grows up in a graveyard, raised by ghosts. When Bod crawls out of his crib as a baby, his family is murdered by a strange man named "Jack." The ghosts of Bod's family beg the inhabitants of the graveyard to care for him, and so Bod grows up away from normal humans.

While a bit spooky, The Graveyard Book is definitely an interesting read. It comes with beautiful, sort of graphic novelesque illustrations by Dave McKean. This is a great book for young adults who are interested in something a bit different than the norm, and are not afraid of ghosts.

Young Adult Fiction 4/5/2010

Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

If you were browsing the children's room while I was working, I would have probably told you that Stargirl is one of my favorite books and that I think every girl (no matter how old she is) needs to read it at some point. As wonderful as Stargirl is, Spinelli's sequel, Love, Stargirl does not disappoint.

Love, Stargirl takes place a few months after when Stargirl ends. Stargirl has moved to a new town and is getting over the loss of Leo (sorry for the spoiler if you still haven't read Stargirl). What is so fantastic about this book is that, unlike Stargirl, it is told from Stargirl's perspective. The character that one grows to love in the first book becomes more human. She cries and she has bad days, but, despite this, Stargirl is still a great role model for girls of any age.

Young Adult Fiction 3/29/2010

The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene

Nancy's first mystery begins when she rescues a young girl who fell into a river. From there, she finds about several families promised to be mentioned in an old man's will, but completely left out by the time he died. Nancy goes above and beyond to search for a rumored second will--one that would provide for those families in much need.

Nancy Drew books are always fun. Nancy gets herself in and out of so much trouble, but it is always for a good cause. Despite their age, the Nancy Drew books are a timeless series for young adult readers. The Secret of the Old Clock is the perfect book to dive into a good mystery!

Young Adult Fiction 3/22/2010

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

Peter Augusts Duchene, an orphan, goes to a fortuneteller, who tells him that he has a sister who is alive somewhere. When he asks the fortuneteller how to find his sister, she tells him to follow the elephant to her. The only problem is, there is no elephants in the city of Baltese! That is, until a magician by mistake conjures up an elephant out of nowhere, and cannot send her back home.

This book really tugs at your heartstrings. The loneliness of the elephant, who is magically taken from her family, along with the loneliness of Peter, who has no known family, really makes the reader hope for a happy ending. In this, DiCamillo does not fail.

Young Adult Fiction 3/16/10

The Name of This Book is Secret

by Pseudonymous Bosch

When Cass, a Survivalist, and Max-Ernest, whose life is divided in two by his divorced parents, discover The Symphony of Smells, they begin a adventure in search of clues about a dead magician and a Secret that has been hidden for hundreds of years.

This book is so fun to read. Not only is it full of adventure, it includes word games and riddles that the reader can try and figure out along with the heroes of this tale. The untitled narrator keeps the reader going with cautions about the book. As he states, "Make no bones about it, this is a very dangerous book."

Young Adult Fiction 3/08/10

Young Adult:

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

Lina and Doon live in the city of Ember, a dark city that is brightened by the great lights. When the lights start to flicker, will Lina and Doon be able to save the city, or will Ember fall into endless darkness?

This book is filled with such adventure, it's hard to put down. Once you finish, the cliffhanger at the end of this book will make you want to read more of the Book of Ember series!